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Hey guys, this is my first post. I didn't see enough on how to set up a switch using accumulator and decider combinator, but I saw the older discussion using the two inserters and the accumulator. This 0.13 update is my latest "switch" for turning power off unless its needed.

As you may know, the power priority in the game is solar, steam, accu. So at night, steam will come on unless you can switch it off. This first image shows the normal situation where night fall is approaching but still plenty of juice.
The way this is working: the sub-station in the bottom left is just in range of the accumulator, and will drain the accu. because of the two lamps it powers. There are four decider combinators, three for the three lamps and one to interpret the accumulator charge. The accumulator is reading its charge level and outputting it on signal A as a percentage of max. The 3rd combinator from the top compares using "A < 10" and outputs B = 1 into the circuit network. The top combinator compares "B=0" and outputs the color green = 1 to the lamp, which uses colors and is enabled when green = 1.
The second combinator compares "A < 50" and outputs the color yellow = 1 to its lamp, which is enabled when yellow = 1. The last combinator compares "B=1" and outputs the color red = 1 to its lamp.
The same circuit network comprises all the inserters for the steam boilers. They each are enabled when "B=1", causing them to load coal into the boilers. Thus the inserters are set to turn on the boilers when the accumulator has less than 10% charge.

Here is my test rig, which shows the essential elements, with only the one lamp which can be set to show a desired color state. The following picture shows the condition when the accumulator has less than 50% charge, the yellow lamp is on. This last picture shows the condition when the charge has dropped below 10%. The inserters have loaded coal into the boilers and the steam engines are firing up. Note that I had to play with the number of lamps acting as drain on the sub-station. You need to get it so that the speed of drain mirrors what is happening to your power network: as it begins to loose power, so also will the accumulator. Too much drain and the accumulator will hit red right away. Not enough drain, and the accumulator will not reflect the state of your network, which may loose power ahead of your accumulator since it has the drain of your factory on it.

After I succeeded in creating this setup, it was very cool to be able to glance over and see that all was well, or that the "power dip" was on. (yellow). One can play with different percentages, or create a 5 level meter with one green, two yellows and two reds for showing 100%, <100%, <75%, <50% and <25%. Quite satisfying to see it work, I had to chuckle.

hey,

just found this, its pretty cool but couldnt you improve it like this:



the toggle combinator has just a "power < 10 -> insert 1"

Hey, thx. for replying.
Sure thing, as I wrote, creating some kind of meter with the lamps is a great extension. My main concern here was to show how the basics of it are done, since that cost me an arm and a leg to get it all right in my mind!

I'm not familiar wit the wires... could you past the blueprint string, please?

Hi Breith, here is string for the test rig:

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Instead of trying to mirror your network drain on a trigger accumulator with lights, why not just connect your accumulator to the real network? Then you can isolate your steam power poles from your network poles with the new power switch, and set its turn on condition to A < 10.
(in 0.13, the accumulator output signal is A, and reports its charge state as a percentage)

You don't need combinators controlling inserters because with no load on the steam system, the boilers will not ask for coal (once water temp gets to 100 it stays there unless there is electrical demand).

Just make sure you have the accumulator on the load side of the power switch.

Hey Beeblebrox, that was very good feedback. Indeed you are right. I can just place an accumulator near a pole attached to my network, detach this network from the steam engine network, but re-connect via a power switch (left in off position). Connect the accumulator to the power switch with red wire and set the enable condition to "A < 10" or whatever. So at 10% accumulator charge, the power switch is enabled. Works!
And that is really cool that the inserters don't need to be wired up, as you say, the boilers make no demand on coal until there is a demand on them. And that happens when the power switch is enabled by the accumulator output on signal A. Smooth! much easier than I thought. The key was to take advantage of the boiler property that I didn't know at the time, coupled with the new power switch.
I hope people don't consider this a "spoiler", it has been very helpful to me to elicit the knowledge on this thread! I would never have guessed the "boiler property".

after experiencing a complete black out, i added few tiny things to my network. think this should suffice for any one.
I just started playing with circuit stuff. And it makes alot of things more nice. Especially the version 13 stuff with he colored lights. Add a single light near critical stock boxes like fuel and energy and simply wire it up to be green yellow and red. Witch is actually turned out to be easier than i though. Takes only 3 decider units, one for each color.

Great stuff! I'm glad I stared this thread. I also experienced a couple of blackouts, not pleasant. I try to always keep a chest of coal nearby so I can manually get the steam engines rolling again. Luckily they were'n't too overloaded by all the extra lasers I had added into the network in the meantime! I think I will go revisit my map and try to isolate various sections of the base so that they don't all pull juice at the same time when I'm recovering from a blackout.
I think I like your idea for the colored lights: makes sense to only show red when in dire need.

can you toggle the water pumps on and off based on accumulator charge?

point is making the system as simple as possible. 1 pump per row of steam machines probably being simpler to wire than all inserters.

I use two deciders, one set to output red = 1 when A < 20, its output feeding to the input of the other set to output the input when a < 40 (with its output feeding into its input as well). The second decider also feeds into a light (which takes the color) and a power switch set to turn on if red > 0. That way the switch turns on at charge < 20, and doesn't turn off until charge is > 40. Otherwise I would end up with a strobing of the switch changing almost every tick. this is since the drain is by definition negative when the switch turns on, if the steam engine results in a surplus it promptly makes the change > 20 again and it turns off...

It made the power graph way cleaner that way. It also avoid the delay of ramp up and ramp down that driving inserters or pumps have, since the switch is instant.

I've recently installed a power switch that activates the connection from my steam generators if accumulator charge is less than 5%. The steam generators always have solid fuel, fed from my fluid processing facility, and the inserters are burner-level. When it clicks over, power is up and running immediately, with little to no interruption in the base.

this is what i use, but a switch vs pump. readout on right is nixie tube mod.
uses two combinators, and a switch. (switch on right is a manual override)
TUTORIAL: EMERGENCY POWER SR LATCH [0.13]